The 5 most expensive perfumes ever made

In the face of economic uncertainty, which has led to many people tightening their belts, there’s one area where consumers are consistently spending more money: fragrances.

The market for perfume and cologne has consistently grown since 2015, with fine fragrance manufacturers reporting dramatic upticks in sales. Givaudan, which creates scents for brands like Tom Ford and Dior, saw a 14% increase in sales in the last year. Coty, which produces fragrances for Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs, saw an even more dramatic increase – with prestige fragrance revenues increasing by 25%.

Retailers attribute the rise in perfume and cologne sales to younger consumers, particularly as TikTok users encourage their viewers to invest in several fragrances.

“We’re noticing that collecting fragrances has been popular on social media like TikTok,” Autumne West, national beauty director at Nordstrom, told Bloomberg in February.

The way young people think about cologne and perfume also seems to be distinct from older generations.

“Gen Z considers fragrance to be part of their core identity, worn for their personal enjoyment and self-expression rather than to appeal to others,” Jean Madar, chairman and CEO of InterParfums Inc., told Bloomberg.

For some consumers, however, high-end fragrance is not simply an of-the-moment trend. For decades, high-end fragrance manufacturers have competed to create unique scents packaged in increasingly luxurious bottles.

Read on to learn more about the most expensive perfumes ever manufactured.

Clive Christian’s No. 1 Imperial Majesty – $205,000

In 2005, Clive Christian’s Imperial Majesty set the Guinness world record for the most expensive commercially available perfume with a retail price of $205,000. Ten bottles were sold during the perfume’s initial run – with each delivered to its customer via Bentley.

Clive Christian No. 1 Passant Guardant – $228,000

Clive Christian created this special edition cologne to celebrate the 2014 opening of the Salon de Parfum boutique at Harrods department store in London. At the time, the fragrance’s typical retail price was $720. The $228,000 special edition featured unique design elements including 2,000 diamonds and 24-karat gold lattice work.

DKNY Golden Delicious – $1 million

In 2011, DKNY partnered with jewelry designer Martin Katz to develop the Golden Delicious million-dollar fragrance bottle for an auction to benefit the charity Action Against Hunger. This special edition bottle incorporated thousands of jewels, including diamonds and sapphires. The perfume typically retails at around $50 per bottle and features both floral and fruity notes.

Shumukh by the Spirit of Dubai

Shumukh was first released in 2019 as a way to “unite the art of jewelry and perfumery” while paying tribute to Dubai. A single bottle of the fragrance costs $1.25 million – with the vessel itself contributing to the scent’s high price tag. The perfume bottle is adorned with gold, silver, pearls, topaz and 3,571 diamonds. The actual scent has notes of sandalwood, Turkish rose and patchouli.

Le Monde sur Mesure – $1.5 million

A scent from Morreale Paris’ Le Monde sur Mesure line could theoretically retail for as much as $20 million – though the line’s first confirmed sale went for the comparatively low price of $1.5 million. Each bottle and scent is custom-designed for customers by a team of 35 individuals. Le Monde sur Mesure is targeted at “wealthy art and jewel collectors as well as fragrance enthusiasts,” the brand’s creative director, Maxime Rançon, told Business Insider in 2018.